Like humans, as they age, cats will also "grow old". Many cats will begin to experience a series of physical and behavioral changes caused by aging at the age of 7 to 10. Many cats are prone to some elderly diseases when they are around 12 years old. Today, I will tell you about the maintenance of elderly cats.

How to define elderly cats According to the division method established by FelineAdvisoryBureau, it can generally be believed that every year after the age of 2 is equivalent to the increase of humans by 4 years old. Therefore, a 2-year-old cat is equivalent to a human 24 years old, while a 12-year-old cat is equivalent to a human 64 years old.

The average life span of pet cats is 15 years old, and cats over 7 years old have gradually begun to enter the old age.

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Symptoms of cats

Immunity weakened

The immune ability of elderly cats will be weakened and their resistance to viruses and bacteria will decrease. Some chronic diseases caused by aging may aggravate the weakening of the immune system. The body is prone to dehydration, which will reduce blood circulation and further reduce immunity.

The skin becomes thinner and the claws are fragile

The skin of elderly cats becomes thinner, and their elasticity will also be reduced, making them more susceptible to damage and germs.

The frequency and effect of cats licking hair in

may reduce, which may cause hair to lose its luster, skin odor, inflammation, parasites, etc.

Cat's paws often grow too long, thicker, and become fragile.

Hearing and vision decline

Similar to memory decline in humans when they are old, cats will also experience brain degeneration when they are older, such as walking aimlessly, excessive meowing, losing their sense of direction, refusing to get close to human/cat companions, etc., which are a manifestation of hearing loss.

Cats can also experience vision loss, and cataracts and glaucoma, common elderly diseases in humans, are also prone to occur in cats.

Dental wear

Dental problems, tooth loss, tartar, periodontal disease, etc. are relatively common, which will greatly affect cats' food and cause great pain.

The sensitivity of smell decreases. This is an important reason for the decline in appetite of elderly cats.

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Care for elderly cats

Temperature regulation

When the cat enters old age, the autonomic nervous system in the body will decrease, resulting in a decrease in body temperature regulation ability.

Spring and Autumn: The temperature difference between these two seasons is not large, the temperature changes are not large, and the impact on elderly cats is not large.

Summer and winter: The temperature difference between these two seasons is large, the temperature is very low in winter and the summer is very hot. Therefore, the shoveler can prepare for elderly cats in summer: electric fans and ice pads for cooling and ventilation; winter preparation: radiators, heating fans and heating pads for keeping warm.

Or you can use air conditioning to regulate the temperature, and the indoor temperature is preferably stable between 25-28 degrees. In addition, when using heating equipment, be careful to keep the cat away to prevent the cat from getting burned.

Clean cleansing

Elderly cats usually ignore self-cleaning and licking hair, so the shoveler needs to do it for the sake of this daily work.

Long-haired cats need to be combed every day, and short-haired cats can be arranged by themselves according to the situation; elderly cats need to check the cleaning of their nails and ear canals every week; in addition, it will take 3 months to do deworming and washing.

Elderly cats have poor chewing ability. Feeding soft foods is more likely to breed tartar, so it is very important to prevent periodontal diseases later. Develop the habit of brushing your teeth and clean your teeth regularly.

Focus on diet

The chewing ability and swallowing ability of elderly cats will decrease with age, their teeth will become weaker, and their digestion will become weaker with decreased exercise.

So the shoveler can prepare some old cat food and wet food, or soak the food and give it to the cat to eat. You can also choose cat food with smaller particles. It is also possible in winter, and the diet is appropriately heated so that the cat can eat better.